Several non-Jewish youths recently managed to sneak onto a trip organized by Taglit-Birthright, the program that sponsors free trips to Israel for young Jews from the Diaspora in an effort to strengthen their connection to Judaism and Zionism, Army Radio reported Monday. The non-Jewish youths, who claimed they were Jewish in their pre-trip interviews, earned a free 10-day trip to Israel at the expense of, among others, Israeli tax-payers, Army Radio reported. To be accepted into the program, interested youths must declare they are Jewish and conduct an interview with Taglit-Birthright representatives, but formal proof of Judaism is not required. As such, there have been a number of cases in which young non-Jews were able to get a free trip to Israel by lying or evading the truth. "They are not checked, they are only asked to fill out a questionnaire and that's it," David, who worked as a Birthright group counselor for five years, told Army Radio. "There is no way to check if a person just wants to go on a free trip; they do not check any documents." Birthright officials said that they identified the few cases in which non-Jews took part in the trip and had those participants flown home. The Prime Minister's Office, which funds about one-fourth of the program's budget, said that Birthright officials are conducting appropriate examinations to make sure only those considered Jewish under the Law of Return can participate in the program. A document obtained by Army Radio from the Prime Minister's Office confirms that candidates for the trip do not need to present official documents testifying to their Jewish backgrounds. Candidates from former Soviet Union countries and Eastern Europe, however, are required to submit formal documentation of their Jewish heritage from "Nativ," an official body under the auspices of the Prime Minister's Office whose role is to reach out to Jews in the former Soviet Union and encourage them to connect to Judaism and Israel. Nativ accepts candidates only whose Jewish background complies with the Law of Return, an Israeli law that grants automatic citizenship to anyone with one Jewish grandparent. In order to join the trip, the candidate is required to present official documentation, such as approval from a local rabbi or his or her parents' marriage certificate. "If you are not a resident of the former Soviet Union, you can take advantage of this loophole in order to get 10 days of fun in Israel, at the expense of taxpayers," said David. "Sometimes you see youths arriving at the airport wearing a Christian cross. It happened in groups that I led, like three times." The Chairman of the Knesset Immigration and Absorption Committee MK Danny Danon said his office had also received complaints of non-Jews participating in the program. "I received many inquiries from participants who told me there were non-Jews on their trip - and many of them. You can't just have someone fill out a form online and get a free trip to Israel at the expense of taxpayers. We do not want to cover the travel expenses of non-Jews to Israel." Even the Prime Minister's Office admitted on Monday that there were instances in which participants gave false declarations about their Jewish background and managed to join the program. Last year, Birthright brought 32,500 young people to Israel. Following the success of the program, the government decided to increase the number of participants by 50,000 per year until 2013.
